Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and Ms Higgins for their contributions. I have a couple of questions for them. As has been said, the committee is very positively disposed towards this endeavour on the part of the Government. If anything, we would like to see more of it, which is always a good thing.

What role could employee-owned businesses, which I might call workers' co-operatives, play in the circular economy? I am thinking about places like Preston and Ayrshire, where community-wealth-building models have been adopted. Some of the enterprises involved are employee-owned businesses or workers' co-operatives but their focus is on recycling. They are very much operating at local level and are not massive. They work hand in glove with local authorities. Co-operatives do not represent a new form of business but the model lends itself very well to the circular economy because it is local. There is a lot of activity in this space but it is very erratic because of how it is funded. Much of the funding is through community employment schemes and so on, so the businesses cannot plan for the longer term. In considering this, does the Minister of State envisage a role for employee-owned businesses or workers' co-operatives, and also social enterprises? Liberty Recycling and such organisations do really good work, but I am wondering whether they are part of it. Is it all on a much grander scale?